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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26996815">The Music Man</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverEnoughHandsonmyTime/pseuds/NeverEnoughHandsonmyTime'>NeverEnoughHandsonmyTime</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Body Horror, Deacons Impromptu Puppet show, Other, Other tags to be added, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:09:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,615</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26996815</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverEnoughHandsonmyTime/pseuds/NeverEnoughHandsonmyTime</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Deacon tasted Salt and blood; looking down, he was startled to realize he'd stuffed his hand against his mouth and had been biting down on it to keep from screaming</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Music Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Shoutout to my Wife who proofreads all my work, she gave this one giant "EWWW" out of 10, This was an idea that came to me out of the blue, I don't think it will get updated very much, But it's October, so in the spirit of things that go bump in the night I give you The Music Man.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One Month.</p><p>Deacon had been stationed at the entrance of Vault 111 for one month.</p><p>The mission briefing had been impressive enough; an agent hiding out in Sanctuary waiting to hand off a package had seen some Institute types head up the path to Vault 111; a few hours later, they came back down with what looked like a baby.</p><p>Deacon had been dispatched to Sanctuary, arguably the most uneventful part of the Commonwealth, to observe Vault 111 for any further signs of activity because surely something else was bound to happen, right?</p><p>One month ago.</p><p>One long, LONG, month ago.</p><p>To say that Deacon was bored would be an understatement.</p><p>In fact, in his crippling boredom, Deacon had been forced to fall back on one of his most secret hobbies, a secret so dark that not even Glory would be able to get it out of him.</p><p>Puppetry.</p><p>Seated in the tiny control room, Deacon was performing the stunning conclusion (Yes, this had been a multi-act play, thank you very much) of the sordid love affair between Mister Can (aka Rusty). Miss Pure (aka a can of purified water) His audience (two sun-bleached skeletons wearing the remains of pre-war military uniforms) had been captivated by his performance so far, they hadn't had a bad thing to say about it in fact.</p><p>"M-Mister can! You know this can never work between us! I'm from the upper stands! and you, you're from G-Good Neighbour!" Miss Pure said, backing away a few steps.</p><p>"Call me Rusty baby," Mister can said, showing no respect for her personal space.</p><p>If anyone had been nearby to witness Deacon's stellar performance, they would have noted that "Rusty" had a deep, gravelly voice, much like the one a certain Mayor from Good Neighbour possessed, and Miss Pure? Well, she just sounded like Deacon with a high pitched squeaky voice.</p><p>"M-My parents would never approve of this dalliance, Rusty, and you know it! Don't make me call for Diamond City security!"</p><p>"Go ahead and call em, sweetheart! You like to pretend you're so pure, but I bet if you let me under that sweet little pull tab of yours that you got all the kick of a Nuka-Cola!"</p><p>(Oh yeah, Hancock would shoot him for this, right in both knees Deacon wagered)</p><p>Suddenly the ground began to shake.</p><p>"W-What's that?" Miss Pure stuttered, moving one reluctant step towards Rusty.</p><p>"Might be an Earthquake, don't worry, I'll keep your sweet little can safe," Rusty said, moving in to comfort her.</p><p>"Wait....what is that?" Deacon asked, coming back to himself, the ground was shaking; to his disbelief, it seemed that someone had activated the lift from inside the Vault.</p><p>"Sorry, gentlemen, you've been a great audience but duty calls!" Deacon apologized to the long-dead soldiers, disciplined to the end they had no complaints about this interruption, "I'll see that management refunds your ticket prices; how about that?"</p><p>Deacon crouched low in the control center, peering out over the top; the figure was clearly male, he had his back turned to Deacon, but he had no trouble making out that neon blue Vault suit that would make him an immediate target in the wasteland, those Vaulties always had to learn the hard way to lose the suit right quick. Even if they did get rid of the suit, they were still marked in the wasteland, their eyes too wide, their skin too clean, their faces too perfect.</p><p>Then the figure turned, and Deacon immediately wished he hadn't.</p><p>The good news was the bright blue Vault suit was NOT going to be his most immediate problem in the wasteland; the bad news was...</p><p>His face, oh god, his face.</p><p>The first thing that caught Deacon's attention was the eyes, a bright, vibrant icy blue, if possible, a more brilliant shade of blue than that Vault Suit even, but then his eyes were drawn lower, and Deacon was forced to bite back a groan.</p><p>It looked like a bomb had gone off in the mans face, the left side was an absolute wreck, a gaping hole in the man's cheek let Deacon see all manner of things he'd had no desire to see in the first place, muscles, tendons, teeth! he could see into the man's tongue moving around in his mouth as he took in the Commonwealth for the first time in....well Deacon had no idea how long he'd been down there.</p><p>The other side of his face was nearly normal, but the man's lips were curled up into a permanently twisted Cheshire grin.</p><p>Those icy eyes scanned the surrounding area, and Deacon ducked down to avoid detection; just what kind of fucked up experiments had Vault Tech been doing down there anyway?</p><p>When he peeked back over the edge, the man was walking to the edge of the platform over-looking Sanctuary Hills; in his left hand, Deacon caught the glint of a knife blade, Because of course, he had a knife! One combat knife free with every fucked up facial reconstruction surgery brought to by the fine folks at Vault Tech.</p><p>Several minutes ticked by, and the man barely moved, observing the wreckage below him, then Deacon heard him start to hum, and then to his great surprise, the man began to sing.</p><p>"I don't want to set the world on fire!  I just want to start, a flame in your heart!"</p><p>Impossibly the voice pouring out of that ruined face was angelic; he watched the man caress the blade of the knife lovingly, then without warning, he spun in Deacons direction and began to approach the control room.</p><p>(OH fuck did he see me?) Deacon's heart began to hammer as he hit the floor and backed himself into the corner.</p><p>"In my heart, I have but one desire."</p><p>The voice was coming closer. HE was coming closer, the face of a demon coughed up from whatever little hellhole Vault Tech had created, with the voice of an angel.</p><p>"And that one is you. No other will do."</p><p>Suddenly the metallic screech of the knife being dragged across the outside of the control panel filled Deacon's ears. Deacon wanted to put his hands over his ears, but he was frozen in place, and still, the man continued to sing as the blade screeched across the wall.</p><p>"I've lost all ambition, for worldly acclaim, I just want to be the one you love! And with your admission that you feel the same, I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of! Believe me."</p><p>The knife reached the end of the wall, and Deacon was reasonably confident that he was about to die; his pack and weapon were impossibly far out of reach because he hadn't been anticipating anything this insane rising up out of the Vault today.</p><p>Any moment he expected that Cheshire grin to peer at him from around the corner, bright blue, the last thing he saw before that knife unraveled his intestines. </p><p>"I don't want to set the world on fire!"</p><p>But by some Miracle, the voice continued past him, growing further and further away as the Music Man rounded the path that would take him down to the remains of Sanctuary.</p><p>Deacon tasted Salt and blood; looking down, he was startled to realize he'd stuffed his hand against his mouth and had been biting down on it to keep from screaming; taking it out of his mouth, he saw bloody tooth marks in his wrist, sucking in a breath he came alive and scrambled out of the control room.</p><p>He was miles away from Sanctuary before he realized he'd left his pack and weapon behind.</p><p>--</p><p>Deacon collapsed in exhaustion; he'd put enough miles between himself and that "Thing" to at least feel a little safe; he only had to worry about the rest of the Commonwealth that would happily murder him in his sleep. Still, he'd take the toothy grin of a Deathclaw before he ever looked into that face again.</p><p>He didn't think he'd be able to sleep, but fear gave way to exhaustion, and he did rest, but his dreams offered him no escape from The Music Man, this time Deacon was hiding in the control room but rather than pass him by The Music Man poked his head around the corner to say hello.</p><p>Deacon watched, Hypnotized by that impossibly beautiful voice as the face loomed closer and closer until it was all he saw, he never saw the knife, but he felt it when it pierced his stomach.</p><p>--</p><p>Coming awake, Deacon clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from shouting, ok sleep was no longer a thing worth doing; he was officially swearing off sleep for the rest of his life.</p><p>He turned his head to look to the right and his body locked up.</p><p>"Oh..."</p><p>There was a knife buried blade first in the ground right next to his head, reaching out to touch it, Deacon pulled his hand back at the last minute, sitting bolt upright on the ground, he looked around wildly.</p><p>At his feet was his pack, his Hunting Rifle leaning up against it, and a little addition sat on top of his pack.</p><p>A little stuffed bear was gazing down at him, watching him while he slept.</p><p>Deacon just lay there gazing up at the bear; he told himself as his body shivered that it was only from the typically cold Commonwealth morning, then cocking his head to the side, he heard it, far away now but still entirely too close for comfort.</p><p>"I don't want to set the world on fire; I just want to start a flame in your heart!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feedback is always welcome, and yeah I know, we'll never know the conclusion to the Sordid love affair between Rusty and Miss Pure. I will make sure to flagellate myself with a wet noodle in Penance.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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